SPACE BANDITS

"Space Bandits" is yet another dull album for Hawkwind, a few good songs are here such as 'Out of the Shadows' which is the best thing on it. 'TV suicide' is intriguing with channel switching effects, voice sound bytes. Bridgett Wishart sings on 'Images', a rare thing to hear a female vocalist on a Hawkwind album. I would have preferred Stacia but her talents lay elsewhere.

There is very little to recommend and those interested in dipping into Hawkwind's extensive ocean of albums, would be better to try the first 5 albums, "Space Ritual", "Chronicle of the Black Sword", and the latest "Blood of the Earth". The problem is that "Space Bandits" is not exactly hard core space rock or for that matter psychedelic, rather is mostly ambient new age mumbo jumbo with too much emphasis on synthesizers and bad arrangements.

It may be the second worst album for Hawkwind, despite what others are saying. I have heard them all and this is really desperate stuff from the band. To use a woman as a vocalist seals the deal; they were simply a sinking ship waiting for another iceberg. Thankfully things can only improve from here. And they did with the excellent "Electric Tepee" to follow. But this album is a must to avoid. Collectors need only apply.